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Google to Offer API

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the now-thats-smooth dept.

philipx writes "From the ruby-talk archives here's a little interesting snippet from a post you have to check out: "Here at Google, we're about to start offering an API to our search-engine, so that people can programmatically use Google through a clean and clearly defined interface, rather than have to resort to parsing HTML." It goes on talking about SOAP and I think this is utterly cool."

4 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Contradicts the terms of use by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Google Terms of Service. Some excerpts:

    Personal Use Only [...] You may not take the results from a Google search and reformat and display them

    No Automated Querying: You may not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system without express permission in advance from Google.
    So how useful might that API be if you can't do anything with it...

    1. Re:Contradicts the terms of use by red_dragon · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'd assume that the API would be subject to a different set of terms and conditions than those for the main site. Given that it'll probably be a pay-for-use service (as another poster hinted at), it'd most certainly be that way.

      --
      In Soviet Russia, Jesus asks: "What Would You Do?"
  2. Is this a subscription service? by Idimmu+Xul · · Score: 4, Interesting
    key = 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'

    I havent tried to get it to work yet, due to not having ruby installed, but does this imply some sort of subscription service?

    Possibly a new way for them to raise revenue? Im assuming that the bold line means the authors key has been blanked out so other people cant abuse this service for free?

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted! Reason: Too much repetition. :/

    --
    The problem with slashdot is that most of its users were bullied and stuffed into lockers as kids!
  3. Good to see this idea return by drok · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Last year Google temporarily had an XML interface available using a query like: http://www.google.com/xml?q=slashdot

    Of course, now it's just forbidden. I am surprised they would go back to such a service, it would seem to wind up losing revenue for them depending upon whether or not people are good about passing along whatever Ad-words Google returns. They could expect the traffic to be low enough to not matter compared to the continued word-of-mouth benefit. Or access to the SOAP interface could be offered as a subscription model (pure speculation on my part).

    -Robert